[Ecommerce] WIPO General Assembly: Agenda item on Development Agenda has been decided

[Manon Ress]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Background:  Almost a year ago, on October 4, 2004, the General
Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
agreed to adopt a proposal offered by Argentina and Brazil, the
"Proposal for the Establishment of a Development Agenda for WIPO" (DA).

The Friends of Development (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, the
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran,Kenya, Peru, Sierra Leone,
South Africa, Tanzania and Venezuela) have been active in the 3 WIPO
Inter-sessional Intergovernmental Meetings (IIM) with proposals
dealing with access to knowledge, pro-consumer initiatives and
process and structural changes that would include an analysis of the
impact of proposed standards for intellectual property and asking for
review of the technical assisitance programs to developing countries.

Today, the 2005 WIPO General Assembly had to make a decision on what
was going to happen to the Development Agenda discussions that are
far from being over. I heard the discussions were difficult.  Since
no consensus could be reached in plenary, the Chair moved to informal
meetings that NGOs cannot attend.

I did not know that WIPO had "Provisional Committee" (is it the same
as an "Ad hoc"?) but that is what has been created here.  The
Committee will meet twice for a week long meeting and report to the
next General Assembly in 2006.

More at http://www.cptech.org/ip/wipo/da.html

And text of the GA's decision:
From: Thiru Balasubramaniam <thiru@cptech.org>
Date: October 3, 2005 3:30:39 PM EDT

The WIPO General Assembly decided to adopt the following agenda item on
the Development Agenda by consensus.
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ITEM 13   OF THE CONSOLIDATED AGENDA

Considering the need to make progress in integrating the development
dimension in WIPO broadly so that concrete and practical results can be
achieved in the most timely and efficient manner, the General Assembly
hereby decides:

-   To constitute a Provisional Committee to take forward the Inter-
sessional Intergovernmental Meeting on a Development Agenda for WIPO
(IIM)
process to accelerate and complete the discussions on proposals relating
to a WIPO Development Agenda and report with any recommendations to the
General Assembly at its September 2006 session.

-   In the interim, and without prejudice to the provision of technical
assistance, the [Permanent Committee on Cooperation for Development
Related to Intellectual Property] PCIPD will cease to exist.

-   The work of the Provisional Committee shall not prejudice the
activities of the other WIPO bodies in discussing all matters relevant
to development.

-   The Provisional Committee shall have two one-week sessions, and the
deadline for submission of new proposals shall be the first day of the
first session of the Committee.

************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology
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